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Whenever we see that photographer Caroline Tran is behind the camera, we know we’re in for quite a treat – and we’re sharing that treat with you today in the form of Jen and Michael’s wedding in Santa Rosa Valley, CA! This day was full of beautiful shades of blue and aqua, with a generous heaping of peach dahlias and silver dollar eucalyptus for a truly romantic feel.

From the photographer, Caroline Tran: Jen and Michael’s gorgeous garden wedding was inspired by the romantic atmosphere in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, carrying a the theme through their website and all their invitations as well with a soft watercolor palette. The lush Maravilla Gardens was the perfect location for their summer celebration, and was transformed into a magical oasis with loose flowers, hanging lights, and gold accents. Guests found their places at the reception with favors labeled with sweet questions about the couple’s lives and dined amid sweet floral centerpieces and a gorgeous view of the vineyards, underneath hanging strings of life.

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When you bring together incredible bridal hair accessories from Erica Elizabeth Designs, delicate wedding gowns from Claire Pettibone, and the eye-catching film imagery of Caroline Tran for her recent photography mentoring workshop, you know full well you’re going to end up with a shoot that’s nothing short of breathtaking. Everything works together perfectly with an abundance of intricate lace and embellished designs that stops you in your tracks without ever seeming busy. Let’s take a look, shall we?

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We’re so lucky to be able to share so much insight from brides about their wedding day and planning process, but it’s always a little extra special when we hear from the groom. We featured Jade and Susan’s engagement session earlier in the year, and Caroline Tran is back behind the camera capturing their equally-amazing wedding day!

From the groom, Jade: After pure serendipity and 10 years in love with my best friend, I finally married my high school sweetheart on July 27, 2013 at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, CA. With the help of our amazing wedding designer, planner, and coordinators from Amorology Weddings, we had a Marie Antoinette-themed wedding, accented with whimsical flowers, busts, books, vintage china, and of course, plenty of cake. Supported by the most amazing bundle of friends and family as our bridal party, we had a magical day in so many respects, with fun-filled surprises throughout.

In the moments leading up to our American ceremony, we were both so anxious and excited to finally join hands at the altar we had been dreaming of for so long. Susan stuck with the tradition and was able to hide all details of the wedding dress from me, so the moment I saw her in her beautiful flowing champagne dress was truly unrehearsed and breathtaking. The reality of being on the brink of marrying the love of my life made it difficult to remember the words that were exchanged, but the feelings of overwhelming joy will never depart our hearts and minds. Through our vows, we were able to share so much of our history and love story with the world. Our Maid of Honor and Best Man also honored us by conducting the “tying of the knot.” We sealed our personal letters to one another (to be read on our anniversary) and retired our high school promise rings into a time capsule box.

After our American wedding ceremony, we then immediately switched into our ethnic/traditional wear made of French and Indian silk and handmade flower garlands for our Thai/Laotian water ceremony. As a symbol of their blessings for our marriage, each guest was invited to pour water from a ceremonial conch onto our hands as they spoke their blessings and wishes of our marriage/love. While staying true to the traditional ethnic ceremony, we incorporated our own unique styles and personal touches as well by adopting a backdrop custom made by Amorology that highlighted the text, “You make my heart flutter.” Our ethnic wedding also featured gifts from Thailand, tagged with our caricatures custom-designed by a professional artist from Thailand – my cousin, Paikaeo!

Our reception began with what we remember as a purely magical and fairytale-like moment – our first dance. Atop a custom-designed vinyl wrapped dance floor with the statement, “May I Have This Dance?,” we felt like we were on Cloud 9 and in a world of our own as we danced to “A Thousand Years” – an unexpected, yet truly fitting song given our story. We learned afterwards that our wedding party swayed and sang along with the music as well to further punctuate the enchanted moment. After a round of heartfelt speeches from our Best Man and Maid of Honor, I toasted to my wife and took down my first ever alcoholic beverage – what more fitting than the glass of champagne to honor my life partner?

As we neared the conclusion of the dinner service, my groomsmen and I sat Susan down by the dance floor as we wooed her with a special surprise dance/skit/lip sync to the song “Everything” by Michael Buble. Susan had surprises of her own, as she followed with a special delivery of a cake custom-made by the incredible Stevi Auble of Hey There, Cupcake! – a multi-tiered Despicable Me and Ratatouille-themed cake, inspired by my love for cooking and two of my favorite Disney movies! As a tribute to the happiest day of our lives, “Perfect Day” by Holly Maher played as we made our first slice into our wedding cake as husband and wife – a moment we relive today and hold dear to our hearts. All our guests, from around, from afar, from childhood, from adulthood, danced the night away with us until the very last moment, where my groomsmen and I had one final surprise for Susan. Ushering all the guests out onto the hotel’s fountain terrace, we distributed 50 paper boats decorated with flowers and colorful LED lights, handmade by the groomsmen. The craft was a tribute to a Thai holiday, Loy Krathong, where the locals release boats into a river and make wishes for good luck, new beginnings, and positivity. These boats, coupled with bright sparklers, symbolized the wedding wishes of each of our guests and our final send-off for the evening. Though the evening came to a close, we were so excited to embark on our new beginning as a married couple.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? 1. Plan for the worst when it comes to the wedding venue, then hope for the best! Review all legal contracts in detail, even if it feels awkward. Think of all possible scenarios and make sure that the legal document is in your favor should anything occur (example: possible renovations without the client’s knowledge). 2. Re-purpose decorations between the ceremony and reception to save on costs (floral, backdrop, linens, candles etc). 3. Plan surprises! (The good kind.) ex: Loy Krathong, wedding gifts, involve your bridal party (flowers from the groomsmen to the bridesmaids), letters from the groomsmen to the bride, dances. 4. Even if you have a coordinator or wedding planner, pre-assign your bridal party to be your eyes and ears (especially the dinner service) to help make sure/remind the service is what you paid for. 5. Prioritize food, music, and parking (in that order) – 3 essential things your guests will likely remember most about your wedding.

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It isn’t often that we share love shoots on Ruffled, but when we saw these images always-incredible Caroline Tran, we knew you’d love them just as much as we do! Susan and Jade set out for this amazing shoot right at sunset, which allowed for some jaw-dropping natural light shots. Susan embraced her inner girly-girl style with Prada flats, a J. Crew frock, and an Alice + Olivia sundress we’re now lusting after!

From the couple, Jade and Susan: We are so excited to share our engagement session photos with you and the world! We were so lucky to find an amazing serene photospot in Agoura Hills, CA and were able to smile for the camera just as the sun set over the horizon. These pictures were able to capture every detail of our personalities – Jade, a self-proclaimed nerdy engineer and Susan, a true dreamer and girly girl. We were even able to get some camera time for Little Bear, the first teddy bear we ever shared over 9 years ago.

Our luggage and our hands were always filled with elements that make up the foundation of our love such as our childhood love letters, photobooth pictures, and paper elements that described lyrics from our favorite love songs, inside jokes, and nicknames. Being high school sweethearts, we share a profound history together building our friendship, our love, and our home together. The luggage represents the many travels, journeys, and adventures we’ve been through together, so it seemed only natural to capture these images under the theme, “Home is where you are.”

About the workshop:
From Caroline Tran: Propel was born from my two passions: teaching and photography. I was a high school Physics teacher before becoming a full time photographer. Though there are many reasons why I chose photography, there are also many things I miss about teaching. I especially miss the mentoring aspects of teaching – I love sharing knowledge and I love helping people reach their full potential. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to teach again.

Propel covers how to establish your aesthetic and approach, marketing and everything in between. The best part, it’s like summer camp :)

Propel focuses on helping you build a sustainable business, and establishing your style when you shoot. We cover topics anywhere from marketing & branding to workflow. And of course, we always have a couple of beautifully styled shoots for lots of hands-on practice. I walk you through how I approach a shoot, and then give you time to practice. Propel is an experience. Think of it like summer camp or a retreat. There’s no way to fully describe it; you just have to experience it.

About the inspiration behind the shoot:
Lucia of Utterly Engaged Magazine: We created a fictional wedding story to help inspire the editorial shoot and design elements for Propel. Inspired by the zebras at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu, CA they mixed organic blooms and safari inspired graphic patterns to create a modern down-to-earth glamour wedding that’s rich in textures and layers of love. The fictional story: “She’s a city girl, that has a big heart and love for Africa. He’s a southern gentlemen who loves big adventures. Consumed with love they eloped and married among their closest friends and family in an intimate celebration for twelve.”